Trump backs tougher ethics in crypto bill

President Donald Trump has agreed to a substantial portion of a stringent ethics proposal tied to the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, a wide-ranging cryptocurrency reform bill. A senior GOP aide said Trump accepted about 80% of the Tillis-Gallego ethics proposal, signaling support for tighter conflict-of-interest standards for officials dealing with digital asset policy.

The ethics package is embedded within the broader CLARITY Act, which aims to reshape federal oversight of digital asset markets. Trump’s acceptance of most of the proposal reflects a negotiated compromise with lawmakers pressing for stronger guardrails on officials’ cryptocurrency-related financial interests.

An updated version of the bill, expected to be released later Sunday, will introduce a requirement that covered officials with a “significant” financial interest in an entity that issues cryptocurrencies must either divest those holdings or place them in a blind trust. This provision targets potential conflicts of interest for policymakers and regulators who are in a position to influence digital asset rules while holding related stakes.

The legislation does not define “significant” in the available descriptions, but the new language is designed to create clearer boundaries between personal financial interests and official duties in the cryptocurrency sector. This ethics framework is a central element of the compromise Trump has accepted within the CLARITY Act.

Trump also agreed to provisions granting state attorneys general an enforcement role under the crypto legislation. The updated language would allow state attorneys general to sue a cryptocurrency exchange if it lists a digital asset that would be barred under the bill, adding a layer of state-level oversight to complement federal enforcement.

Republican senators involved in the talks, including Cynthia Lummis, Tim Scott and John Boozman, characterized this change as giving state attorneys general a meaningful role in enforcing the measure. The enforcement design reflects a shift from earlier approaches that had concentrated authority more heavily at the federal level.

Senate leaders have scheduled a procedural cloture vote on the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act for Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026. The cloture motion becomes eligible for a vote at 2:15 p.m. Eastern Time and will require 60 votes to advance the bill to the next stage of consideration.

The outcome of this vote will determine whether the CLARITY Act, including the newly strengthened ethics and enforcement provisions, can proceed in the Senate. While the ethics compromise has garnered support from key Republican negotiators, the bill’s immediate prospects remain contingent on securing sufficient bipartisan backing in the upcoming test.